September 8 - Massachusetts

Good evening intrepid followers! It is late and I am going to bed, but wanted to update.

It has been awhile since I posted; I have been busy and much has been accomplished! My studio is finally to the point where I can actually use it. Yay! Yes, some work remains, but it is minor compared to what it looked like a few months ago.

Studio few months ago

I will actually be able to paint and use the room for my intended purpose! I unpacked many boxes in there. Found ALL my computer hardware that connects to the desktop computer in there and got it all hooked up (yes, I did it myself, and yes it all works properly :) ).

Art stuff & rug

My easel is set into place, as well as most of my art supplies. THAT makes me very happy! I even have a new rug put down. The rug set I ordered for the living room came with an extra, smaller, room rug. Fits my studio perfectly.

Easel

My brother has been away the past two weekends for some needed vacation time. I was on "cat duty". Last weekend (Labor Day) I had a few friends over. They helped moving some of the bigger boxes, which was most welcome. We had a little barbecue - hamburgers, hot dogs, potato salad. Not fancy, but very welcome that day.

The "Dutch boy" cement statue is complete and in place outside!! THAT makes me happy as well :) I am now working on the "Dutch girl" statue. These things weigh about 60 pounds each. No I am not kidding: they are solid cement and as tall as my knee (a little over 21"). I cannot move them far on my own.

Here are some "before" and "after" pix of the boy statue. A daunting undertaking. But I needed to paint something! So glad I did! He looks much happier now :)

Dutch boy before

Dutch boy after

Dutch boy before

Dutch boy after

 Made the mistake of looking at my other weathered yard statues.... sigh. On my "to do" list to refurbish. I have a raccoon, a dove on top of a nest (2 pieces), and an angel.

My friend took the boy outside and brought the girl inside. I am working on her. Now that the humidity is down the painting is going much faster. Plus with the first one under my belt I know what to expect and will be able to complete it more quickly.

Here are some "before" pix of the girl. Pretty rough shape!

Dutch girl

Dutch girl

When she is done I will resume work on the canvases I started last Winter in Maine. Oils. They are my passion.

There are so many art mediums - charcoal, pastel, colored pencil; tempera, watercolor, acrylic, enamel, oil.

I have tried, own, and do, use them all. They all have their uses but I always return to oils. Some people think oils are difficult to work with - yes and no.

You do need a moderate talent of drawing to begin with. Otherwise it does not work out so well. I think that talent (drawing) is likely a bit innate. My drawing skills fall somewhere in the middle. Prior to doing an oil painting, one must draw at least a rough outline on canvas.

Charcoal pencils

With more precise paintings (ships for example) I make a grid, then draw the picture (perspective).

There is something about painting with oils that stirs me deep inside. Yes, they take forever to dry and chew through brushes shamelessly. The turpentine required to clean (and mix) messes with my hands (no manicures!). As do some of the other solvents and chemicals (fixatives, etc.). It requires a change of clothes in which to paint.

Oil paints are expensive, depending on the color. A 5 oz. tube of Grumbacher Titanium white costs about $15. It is the most common color one uses, and relatively inexpensive comparatively. You mix it with everything. Most come in 1.32 oz. (5 oz.. does not sound large, but in oils it is huge).

5 oz. Titanium white

Some colors cost upwards of $40/$50. For a 1 oz. tube. You need to prioritize the colors you want. Some are very hard to find; some are not made any more. Due to their chemical components.

Oil painting requires blending colors, so you need a good eye for color and know what works together and does not. Cerulean or Thalo blue with Cadmium or Naples yellow?

Brushes start at size 000 and work their way up from there. It is incongruous, but the smaller the brush the more expensive. Russian sable is the best, but also the most pricey.

So between the price of the paints, brushes, the mixing and dry time - yeah, they are the "yes" part of the difficult people have working with oils.

So there is that.

However - for me there is nothing more satisfying than putting oil to canvas. I love the feel of oil under my brush; I love mixing the colors. I love how the paints flow onto canvas and can be manipulated from creamy smooth to a gritty ocean sand. Gentle soft flowers or roaring white ocean. I love the feel, the smell. I breathe it all in; zone out and paint. Sit back satiated & so satisfied.

That is the "no" part of the "oils are hard/difficult". They are not. It simply requires patience.

Painting oils reaches my soul in a way that is complicated to describe. No other type of paint comes close as far as I am concerned.

It is a feeling that stems from deep inside. Maybe you are born with it. I have been painting since I was a very young child. My earliest memories are painting watercolors before I was even in school. Then paint-by-numbers - oils. My Mom signed me up for classes when I was in Elementary School, and every year for Christmas I got paints:) I took classes for years after, well into my adult years.

So yeah, there is that too.

That is how far back my love affair with oils goes. Yes oils are/can be difficult. Heaven knows I have had my issues with them throughout the years. In the end, however, I always return to the canvas :)

Stay tuned, my friends!